No. However, much like Boy Scouts, it does give the youth some moral code to live their life by.

I went to a local informational meeting yesterday to sign up my daughter. In her age group, almost everyone was complaining about the cost ($25 to join, and about $50 for vest and other stuff down the road). People were asking for financial aid application and saying they will be going to salvation army to look for used stuff. It doesn't really matter to me either way, since my daughter wants to join and will have a friend that is already there. But it did raise the question I posted in the thread's title.

I went to a local informational meeting yesterday to sign up my daughter. In her age group, almost everyone was complaining about the cost ($25 to join, and about $50 for vest and other stuff down the road). People were asking for financial aid application and saying they will be going to salvation army to look for used stuff. It doesn't really matter to me either way, since my daughter wants to join and will have a friend that is already there. But it did raise the question I posted in the thread's title.

That is not bad on the $$. Both of our boys are in Boy Scouts. If they didn't do fundraisers, it would probably be north of $1000 each per year. Any high adventure stuff is about $1500 just for the trip.

I guess it can seem expensive to join, but my daughter sold enough cookies last year to cover her registration this year and will cover most of her activities. As for those looikng for uniforms, some troops buy back stuff form kids who leave or outgrow stuff(our Boy Scout Troop started this last year). Helps cut down on some of the costs.

I went to a local informational meeting yesterday to sign up my daughter. In her age group, almost everyone was complaining about the cost ($25 to join, and about $50 for vest and other stuff down the road). People were asking for financial aid application and saying they will be going to salvation army to look for used stuff. It doesn't really matter to me either way, since my daughter wants to join and will have a friend that is already there. But it did raise the question I posted in the thread's title.

Maybe it's just the area you are in and the people who live there. We have a handful of friends with daughters in Girl Scouts in troops around Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, and Beverly Hills/Franklin and have never heard complaints on the cost.

I People were asking for financial aid application and saying they will be going to salvation army to look for used stuff.

and what is wrong for looking at the Salvation Army?

bunch of whiners. everyone wants a free everything.
you DO things for your kids.
wonder how many called a friend on their smartphone {not obamaphone} to bitch as they drove home in their Grand Cherokee.

check the parking lot. if it's full of rust-buckets they may need assistance. if it's full of SUVs etc you, ..... can figure it out.